1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fabrication and finishing of furniture panels, and more particularly is applicable to the finishing of such panels of a nature which require the application of some type of covering on the edges thereof to conceal the true appearance and to develop the appearance of true solid wood finishes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fine woods for furniture panels, desk and countertops, and shelving ar becoming more and more scarce and costly. At the same time, the development of improved techniques in laminating and photoprinting, and the increased availability of wood substitutes such as particleboard and the like have made possible the development of furniture panels and the like which give the appearance across their major surfaces resembling the actual types of wood, such as walnut, mahogany, birch, etc. which they are designed to imitate. One principal remaining problem, however, has been the difficulty in developing a finish for the edges of such imitation or laminated wood panels which can match the appearance of the apparent wood grain of the major surfaces of the panels. Banding strips have been used, but this involves a relatively slow and costly application process involving considerable hand labor to apply and finish the strips along the edges of the wooden panels. Other attempts to provide the desired finish include the use of spraying apparatus with which to apply a liquid which hardens to a base for photoprintingg a grain finish thereon. This approach is generally unsatisfactory, because of overspray problems, the relatively long drying time for the spray coating, and the need for further finishing, such as sanding, trimming and the like.
It is therefore desired to provide a suitable arrangement for developing a desired edge surface on laminated or imitation wood panels and the like in a manner which permits processing on the production line basis with a minimum of finishing steps and time involved in the process.